The present invention generally relates to the measurement of the power generated by a person who is performing a physical activity. More specifically, the present invention pertains to the detection, measurement and display, in real time, of the peak power generated by, for example, an athlete or a physical therapy patient.
Many physical training professionals favor training regimens that emphasize quick, explosive movements that maximize the recruitment of fast twitch muscle fiber, with either weight training machines or free weights. It is believed that such training would be even more effective it the athlete or patient were to be instantaneously aware of his or her peak power output.
It is conceivable that a process that directly measures a person's neuromuscular activity could be employed to generate such information, but the rather esoteric and expensive medical laboratory devices that would be needed are cost prohibitive. Moreover, the complexity of such systems and the need for a trained technician to operate such systems renders such approach impractical for use in a weight training gym environment.
An alternative approach involves the detection and measurement of the motion that is imparted to a mass by an individual and then calculating the peak power that is required to achieve such motion. Use of accelerometers that are attached directly to free weights or machine weight stacks may be employed to generate such data, but such accelerometers are expensive, fragile, and susceptible to offset errors that can quickly accumulate to yield intolerable inaccuracies.
An improved power measuring apparatus is therefore needed that is capable of providing a real time measurement of the power generated by a person. Such apparatus must be inexpensive to manufacture, must be simple to use, must provide accurate information, and must be sufficiently durable for use in a gym-type environment.